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Schools in Lower Austria must also remain open if the crown traffic light turns red. So it could “stay yellow or orange” because the districts are often so large “that it makes no sense to go with the color of the district,” said State Councilor for Education Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP) at a news conference on Thursday. To relieve parents, it is particularly important that children can go to school.
The State Councilor for Health Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ) also emphasized that the facilities had to remain open to “leave no one behind in the field of education. During the first closure, not all of us were prepared for it,” she admitted. . The support needed for some parents and children was not provided everywhere.
Query
In the school sector, therefore, federal traffic lights will not be followed. If a district or city turns red, according to Teschl-Hofmeister, in consultation with the Ministry of Education and health authorities, it will be decided whether the measures should also be implemented there in schools.
Coronavirus infections in state educational institutions are increasing “moderately.” According to Teschl-Hofmeister, this week 73 new cases of girls and boys and eight of teaching staff were reported in the more than 1,000 schools with almost 200,000 students.
In Lower Austria, a uniform way of treating suspected coronavirus cases has been developed. “There is a precise checklist of what to do, when and in what order,” said the regional councilor. To do this, stick to a constantly updated manual from the Ministry and also implement your own strategies. Königsberger-Ludwig explained that the residence authorities together with the local authorities and medical personnel classify the contact persons.
“There are no big spreaders”
However, the procedure for suspected cases will be adapted depending on the situation. For example, in the case of a teacher who tested positive, the students in the first row should be treated differently than the children in the last row. People under the age of ten should also be treated differently. “They have been shown to be not great transmitters of infection,” said State Medical Director Irmgard Lechner. So it is not necessary here to separate entire classes.
“Comprehensive screenings are not a panacea, they must be carried out in clusters,” said the Health Minister. There have been 27 screenings in Lower Austria since the school started. Of 5,788 people tested, 416 students and 110 teachers tested positive.
